Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Ballad of the Pigeon God #56: The Noose Tightens

The heroes remaining, left to fend off the Dread Lord, the Cult of Spider-People, and the impending arrival of the God of Goodness and Light:

Mellandria, a scholarly magic-user who barely escaped from the Magistocracy of Emron with her life (and an owl familiar, Horatio).
Sterling Riverbend, a huge quarter-ogre with a disposition slimier than his skin.
Kane, a eastern mystic with elemental control of water.  He had an early companion of the missing heroes, and had donned his armor again to help the Village of Eding.
Ozark, a venerable half-orc cleric who maximized his feeble potential early in life.  Possibly old and demented, but currently stinking up the Chateau with his demands for liver and onions at every meal.

7 QuaDec 1072  - Chateau d'Echelon, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Riding down the road was Sir Norm Dingleberry, General of Eastern Armies of Crosedes, Marauder of Ruuna, Knight of the Pigeon, and failed dwarven mushroom farmer.   The dwarf that had been shamed by the humans in Ruuna had returned!  He still sported a clean face, but had outrageous mutton chops exploding out of the edges of the helm.

He sought out the hidden heroes, and after proving himself with a series of secret code words and handshakes, our heroes were relieved to welcome him back into their ranks.

The continued shaming of the dwarves of Skyforge that initially invaded Skyforge was going well.  Most had went back home, broken and shaven. A few stubborn ones earned time of the prisoner work gangs he had organized.  However, the surprisingly tragic letter by Talis forced him to temporarily relinquish command of his army and return to the prophecy, the impeding Armageddon, and a host of other problems.  He was quite happy to find Mellandria alive, and Velandro rumored to be safe in Ispatlia.

25 QuaDec 1072 -  Blue Wizard Inn, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Sterling had left for another visit of his family Omsjik, and the rest decided to make an appearance at the Blue Wizard Inn, threats of death, be damned.  Many were pleasantly surprised to see them, but our heroes were more amused to find Rurik, Fiame, MacKay, former allies of Prince William of Aragain, seated up against the bar.

It was a few tense minutes, but neither group wanted any trouble today. In fact, they had made quite a number of visits to the barony in recent memory:  A failed attempt to retrieve the Bell of Chardastes (after authorities had given up on the heroes).  Properly cleaning out some crypts in the Nightwood Forest (where Holverton had recovered the Dagger of Myrmidian).  And even doing some odd work for the Cult of Light by killing off some bands of bugbears and orcs that started circling the encampment.

29 QuaDec 1072 -  Chateau d'Echelon, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Back at the Chateau, Echelon's old mentor, Mohammad, began coming out of his random traces with his god, Tshang Hai Ching, Eastern God of the Sea.  After months and weeks or ramblings, he put together a very congent analysis of the visions he had been suffering from.  A great evil assembling to stop the God of Goodness and Light from returning.  Every ally they had ever helped would be needed to stop them.  Worst yet, the weapons rumored to be hidden in White Plume Mountain, Overslayer the Battle Axe, Wave the Trident, and the Bloodbrand, featured prominently.

1 HepDec 1072 -  Village of Eding, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Great (and troubling) news came to town.  The Archbishop of Hydincall and King Cervinal himself appointed Fiame the High Priest of the new Temple of Akana slated to be built.  There had not been a temple of Akana in the Barony since the original one in Eding burned down during the Goblin Invasion of 1062.

Realizing that William's associates might be working for the King/Dread Lord, Norm and Mellandria decided it was a great time, however unwise, to venture south to find the mythical White Plume Mountain and retrieve the weapons.

8 HexDec 1072 - Chateau d'Echelon, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes 
Desperately waiting for an assault on the Chateau by William's allies, the party took more than a whole paranoid month before beginning to pack for the long journey south.

9 HexDec 1072 - Lake Apotheosis
Upon arriving at the thriving camp of the Cult of Goodness and Light, Sir Norm demanded an audience with the high priest.  This time a long-haired, long bearded human name Nevin greeted them. He openly admitted hiring William's friends to eliminate some humanoid threats, but the Cult Guards were now properly trained and could handle anything that came their way.

After offering them a simple meal, he bid them adieu, warning them that their god was returning by the end of the year.  He pleaded with them to get their houses in order, so they could enjoy the great reveal of truth and justice upon all.

It was time to head south... to Rowand City.

10 HexDec 1072 - Chateau d'Echelon, Barony of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes 
Baron Felix received a courier at the door, who delivered a letter from Ispatlia.

Velandro was alive.

He recounted his version of the events in Emron that took Echelon's life, and hoped that either Talis or Mellandria had made it back.

He also revealed that he had conducted research on the Cult of Apotheosis... the Cult of Goodness and Light.  And despite his better judgement, the more he looked into the legends and lore, the more their story seemed to be not only truer and truer, but coming to fruition.  It had taken awhile for a hired astrologer to interpret the notes he had made, but Velandro knew the apocalypse was not only coming, but when exactly.
Those Ispatlian astrologers are slow and expensive, but boy do they do quality work.
The first day of the last month in the year 1072.

1 DecDec 1072.

High Noon.

DM Notes:  We all swear that Ozark had more adventures with the party, but no one knows exactly what, when, or where they took place.   For the purposes of this session, assume that something involving high morality, poor balance, and dementia occurred, possibly involving the half-orc cleric happened at one point.  A slowly-eroding hilarity may have ensued.  

NEXT #57 - The Golden Goose of Aragain

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